Pan Gravy Kadai Curry

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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Dear Readers, How have you been? I know its been while, nearly a year since I decided to stop by and say hello. I thank you all for inquiring about the blog and me. I assure you, I have neither gone belly up nor decided to abandon the blog. Considering this being the first post of the year, is it appropriate to say 'Happy New Year'? LoL. I know its a little late, but its better late than never, right?

While I have come back from hibernation, its going to be a few weeks before I start regularly updating the blog. But I have to tell you that I do have plans for revamping the blog and making it user-friendly. First in the pipeline is to give it a new face-lift, adding recipe-index(although I cringe at the thought of indexing 425 posts..), bloghop and join in active social networking etc etc..

I am happy to say I bought a Nikon D7000 on Black Friday last year. Currently hunting for a great Prime lens and Macro lens. Recommendations are welcome. Here is the first ever picture I took using that camera. I was quite adamant that I won't experiment with it until I go to the temple of my favorite God "Lord Ganesha" in Flushing, NY. The husband was itching to get his hands on my toy but I didn't let him. The camera was sitting in the box for nearly a month before I was temple-bound. I haven't started taking any food clicks with it yet.. Have been very busy with this thing called life.

Monday, August 27, 2012

I was craving for some mangoes a couple of weeks ago..this single wish/thought was driving me insane-- I wish I could sink my teeth into a plump juicy perfect mango-- My dad "telepathically" got the message. So when my sister and b-i-l came for a visit he sent 2 cartons of them from New Jersey's Indian stores. Now, that is Parental Love -- Greatest,boundless,all-encompassing, understanding and unconditional love.

So for the next ten days or so I had yet another awesome reason to look forward to in the evenings -- the simple joy of unwinding my day with a mango.I was on a mango high. LoL. I had plans for the last remaining two to be churned into a Mango Kesari for a few friends who were coming for a visit. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

You see, I am not the only mango lover in the house. My 4-yr old screamed and screeched for them and his dad emptied the carton. At the last minute I had to change plans and make do with blueberries. Initially was petrified to try cause blue food isn't everyone's favorite food. So with lots of doubts, concerns and worries tried Harini(Of Tamalapaku's) Mango Kesari with blueberries instead. That is how the "Blueberry Kesari" came to be.

Soak the Black Gram for 4 hours.Soak the Cracked Wheat in Warm Water for 15-20 minutes.

Grind the Black Gram to a smooth paste with little water. Mix the Black Gram batter and Ragi Flour with little Water.

Add the soaked cracked wheat to the batter along with the baking soda.

Add water to until the mixture reaches a batter-like consistency. The mixture shouldn't be thick or runny. Let the mixture sit and ferment in a warm spot overnight. It might take upto 18hrs in cold places.

Once the volume has almost doubled and the mixture has a distinctive odor, it is fermented. It can be used rightaway and the leftover can be refrigerated upto 3-4 days.

Stir in the salt before using.

Grease the Idli moulds and pour little batter.

Steam it for 15-20 minutes.

Tastes best when consumed hot/warm with spicy chutney or spicy chicken kurma and eggplant gravy.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

For this week's recipes I am going to borrow recipes from Tamalapaku for the theme "Cook from fellow BM-ers". It was difficult to narrow down to just one blog..it was a tough task.

For today, I wanted to start off with a chutney recipe perfect for Idli,Dosa, Pongal,Upma or almost any Indian breakfast items. The base recipe is Tamalapaku's Walnut Chutney that kind of evolved into this recipe. I have seen my friends totally give up on coconut and simply substitute walnut paste instead. I am/was surprised to see that I couldn't tell much difference and I finally made the transition too... Well, I am half way there but I like when I am at- I can't completely give up on coconut which is why you see that I have thrown some grated coconut balls into the mix. :). Oh yes, it all can be done in under 30 minutes.

In a tbsp of Olive Oil, lightly brown the red lentils. A minute later add the roughly cut garlic cloves, both the chilies and a stalk of curry leaf.

Add the walnuts and saute them for a minute of so. Switch off the stove and add the coconut and tamarind. Mix and let it cool. Move the cooled mixture into a blender jar and add a little salt. Grind it to a thick (slightly gritty or smooth, its all personal preference) paste.